Since starting my coach training and working for fourteen years as a coach, I have always been an advocate for coaching, and supported people who want to develop their coaching skills. I’ve also been drawn to becoming a Coaching Supervisor and have just completed my Certificate in Systemic Supervision.
Even the word ‘Supervision’ itself could present a bit of a challenge - and might suggest someone standing over your shoulder, or judging whether you’re doing things right or not.
However, the essence of Supervision is really about taking a more holistic and wider perspective on your coaching - the birds eye view, as well as the deep dives. Just like the body can’t make essential nutrients, so we need to look beyond ourselves to resource ourselves from outside with supervision. And supervision must be an essential and integral part of creating a sustainable coaching practice, incorporating reflection, self-care and renewal.
So what’s the difference between Coaching, Mentor Coaching & Supervision
- Swimming the River: Coaching is usually about effecting change - whether that’s getting to a specific goal or outcome, or a less tangible shift in perspective or attitude, each of which may have a massive positive impact on our life or daily experience, and also a huge downstream effect on those we interact with. As coaches, we swim the ‘river’ alongside our coachee and invite them to make decisions, reflect on what is happening in the moment and whether they want to be able to go with the flow, swim against the tide or move in a different direction.
- Diving into the Trench: ICF Mentor Coaching is focused on working with a coach to support their development and growth, and to help their preparation to complete their ICF Credential Application. This work specifically is a narrow & deep dive into the ICF Core Competencies of Coaching.
- Taking in The Ocean: Supervision is about creating space to reflect on the broader picture of your coaching practice and/or professional work - as well as some of the specifics of what is working well and what may need attention.
The common thread here is the core coaching stance of listening, empathising, empowering and creating insights through the conversation.
Just as water is the essence of life, supervision can offer formative, normative and restorative resources.
- Formative - in the same way that living things need water to grow and develop, our work as a coach might potentially stagnate if we rely too much on the same approaches. Just as the world around us keeps changing, and coaching and our clients keep evolving we need to keep learning new perspectives, skills and approaches, and responding to challenge, as these are vital to our ongoing development. We can learn more about coaching through being supervised and from how the supervisor may model and demonstrate new ways of working for us to try out.
- Normative - water has a cleansing and purifying effect ; the normative aspect of Supervision helps us to be clear as coaches about best practices, ethical questions, issues around contracting, boundaries and so on.
- Restorative - water is known for its relaxing, calming and restorative qualities… in the same way, Supervision can be a wonderful resourcing space for coaches, who frequently may work independently and feeling the support and encouragement from supervisor and fellow supervisees is very rewarding.
Some final thoughts on Super-vision
- Supervisors I have met are so tuned in to their role that they seem truly to have Super-vision… the ability to make the invisible more visible
- Supervision is increasingly a requirement for professional coaches especially when working with organisations, and will become more so in the future.
- Supervision has benefits not just for coaches, but for any professional seeking space to reflect on their work. Imagine the potential if all world leaders were required to undergo supervision - would they use it?
We see ourselves reflected in a pool of water… and in the same way Supervision offers us space to reflect, gain insight, to resource and renew ourselves and provides a different perspective on our work as coaches.
This helps us to do our best work in service of our clients, and to support our own learning and growth, to be true to our authentic selves and honour our unique perspectives and talents.
